New york: The Hague Group held a Ministerial Meeting in New York on the margins of the United Nations High-Level Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. The meeting, convened by the Foreign Ministers of Colombia and South Africa and hosted by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC), brought together representatives from member states, including Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, The Hague Group, established in January 2025 as a Global South initiative, aims to uphold international law in response to Israel's alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. The recent meeting followed an emergency session in Bogot¡ on 16 July 2025, where 12 governments adopted a Joint Statement committing to immediate legal and political actions to hold Israel accountable. These actions include a comprehensive arms embargo, proceedings at the ICC and ICJ, enforcement of court rulings, boycott of settlement products, and targeted sanctions. An urgent call was made to other states to join the initiative.
Trkiye announced its endorsement of the Joint Statement and its intent to implement its provisions. The Hague Group Ministers emphasized that collective action is essential to protect Palestinian rights, end the illegal occupation, and preserve the international legal order threatened by Israel's impunity. The Foreign Ministers of Colombia and South Africa underscored the need for moral clarity and immediate action, warning that silence and inaction enable continued atrocities. They highlighted the legal duty of all states to prevent complicity and assist in halting the genocide and occupation.
Minister Varsen Shahin expressed deep gratitude to all Hague Group members for their solidarity and commitment to action against the alleged war crimes and genocide by Israel. She stressed the importance of convening The Hague Group on the margins of the International Conference on Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, highlighting the collective commitment to multilateral action rooted in international law as the path to a peaceful and lasting solution. Shahin emphasized the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the West Bank, calling for an end to massacres, starvation, and forced displacement, as well as escalating Israeli violence and threats of annexation.
Minister Shahin urged the international community to take all necessary actions to fulfill legal, political, humanitarian, and moral obligations to halt the alleged genocide, end Israel's illegal occupation, and realize the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. She called for immediate action to stop Israel's destruction of Palestinian life and annexation of Palestinian land, stressing that the very existence of the Palestinian people and their State are at stake, alongside cardinal principles underpinning the international system. 'Israel must be stopped,' she concluded. 'It cannot be allowed to get away with these crimes any longer.'
Additional remarks were delivered by the Foreign Minister of Bolivia, the Deputy Minister of Trkiye, and the delegations of Norway, Cuba, and Malaysia. Briefings were also provided by Palestine Red Crescent Society President Younis Al-Khatib and representatives of UNRWA, OCHA, and UNICEF.
